Letter-file, &amp;c.



Patented May 6, I902.

- c. T. DANIEL.

LETTER FILE, 6L0.

(Application filed J 2 Shae ts-Sh'apl .I.

(No Model.)

Patented May 6, I902.

C. T. DANIEL.

LETTER, FILE, &C.

(Application filed Jan. 4, 1902.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

{U ITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

oHARLEsT. nAumnoF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

LETTER-FILE, am.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 699,290, dated May 6, 1902. 4 Application filed January 4, 1902 Serial No. 88,408. (No model.)

To all whom it ntay concern: I

' Be it known that 1, CHARLES T. DANIEL, a

' citizen of the United States,residin g at Kansas City, in thecounty of J ackson andState of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Letter-Files, 850.; and I do hereby declare the following tobe a f ull,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it'appertains ,to make and use the same:

My invention relates to letter-files; and it consists of. certain novel features of construction and combination of parts, the preferred form whereof will be fully describedin the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

The object of my invention is to providea simple, cheap, and reliably'efiicient a'ppli ance of! the character specified by which let'- ters, bill-heads, periodicals, newspapers, and,

" in fact, all kinds of papers which it is desired to file away for future use and convenient reference may be quickly disposed in convenient packagesand secured so that none of them can casually slip out of such package; A further object'of my invention is to on able the letters, bill-heads, &c., to be conveniently filed away from time to .time until the desired quantity has been accumulated, when the assembled quantity maybe permanently or temporarily bound, as desired.

Other-objects and advantages will be here; inafter made clearly apparent.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of my invention complete, showing an accumulated number of letterheads in position ready to be permanently bound or secured for future reference. Fig. 2 is a perspective detail of one of the means which I employ to bind the letter-heads, peri; odicals, or the like after the desired number thereof has been accumulated. Fig. 3 is a perspective detail'view'showing a portion of the base member of my file,which is provided with a groove adapted to seat the temporary filing-band. Fig. 4 is a perspective detail View showing how the accumulated number ofletter-heads may be temporarily bound or secured by means of a cord of the preferred size. Fig. 5 is a perspective detail View of the weight-plate employed by me to temporarily retain the letter-heads, &c., from casulated number of letter-heads or the like interposed between them. Fig. 7 shows another form of, filing-needles, wherein it will be observed that notches are provided in the ends of the needles or blades instead of eyes.

signed ftocooperate therewith numerals will be employed, of which 1 indicates-the base portion of my invention, which may be made of any preferred size and of any desired material and is provided near its upper end with a pair of posts 2, having their upperends curved outwardly For convenience in referring to the Various 7 details of my invention and elements deand provided with a retaining-head 3, the

object of said posts beingto extend loosely through suitable apertures provided in a con tiguous part of the weight-plate 4, and thus enable said plate by means of its controlling handle 5 to be readily disposed in such position that it will rest upon the letters, bill- Fig.7. Each needleis preferably provided with an eye 7 near its upper end,'itbeing understood that each extreme end is .properly sharpened, so as to enable it to easily cut its way through a letter. or other paper to be filed thereon. If preferred, the said needles maybe formed of a'single pie'ce'of suitable material which is properly bent, so that each .ofItheneedles will extend upward through suitable apertures provided in the base-section. It will be understood that the needles are provided with the eyes 7 in order to enable a cord 9 to be employed for the purpose of tying together the accumulated bundle of letter-heads or the like, the dispositionofthe cord being illustrated in Fig. 4. 'Each of the needles 6 is preferably provided upon its outer side with the longitudinally-disposed groove 10, while a similar groove may be employed upon the inner side of each needle whenthe latter are constructed as shown in Fig. 7. WVhen, however, it is desired to by the numeral 12.

more permanently bind the letters,bill-hcads, periodicals, or the like, then I prefer to dispense with the cord and employ a strip of metal, as indicated in Fig. 2, and comprising the middle portion 11, having each end sharpened and bent at right angles, as indicated If this metal strip is employed to bind the accumulated number of letters or the like together, then I prefer to provide a suitable groove on the inner side of each needle adapted to snugly receive said ends 12 of said strip, thereby so disposing said ends that they will not obstruct the free downward movement of the letters or the like when the same are filed away from time to time upon the needles 6.

If the metal strip 11 is employed, it is first seated in place, so that the portion 11 will rest directly upon the surface of the base-section 1 between the needles (3, while each angular extension 12 of the metal strip will rest in the groove or slotted opening provided in the needles, and it is therefore obvious that said angular extensions will in no wise impede the free downward movement of the letters as they are filed away. After the desired number of letter-heads or the like has thus been accumulated upon the needles a followerplate is provided comprising the body portion 13, having at each end a recess 14, the length of the follower-plate being such as to fit snugly between the angular extensions 12, and it is obvious that by bending inwardly the extreme upper ends of said extensions, so that said ends will rest upon a contiguous part of the follower-plate 13, the papers will be permanently and reliably bound together. It is further obvious, however, that any of the letters thus filed and bound will be easily accessible for the purpose of reference, or such individual letter may be bodily removed by bending the points of the angular extensions 12 upward, so as to release the follower-plate 13, as will be readily understood by reference to the drawings.

In Fig. 7 I have shown the needles as differently constructed from those presented in Fig. 1, inasmuch as the eyes 7 have been dispensed with and notches or recesses 7 employed in lieu thereof. The recesses '7 and the longitudinal groove 10, corresponding to the groove 10 in Fig. 1, have been provided on each side of the needles 6. The cord, therefore, is so disposed that the ends will lie in the recesses or notches 7, and the grooves 10 will thus receive a contiguous part of the cord and present very little obstruction to the free downward movement of the letters as they are filed away. The ends of the cord may therefore be readily grasped and tied together when the desired number of letters or the like has been accumulated.

The manner of using the device illustrated in Fig. 4 it is thought will also be clearly obvious, though it may be stated that if a cord is employed to secure the accumulated number of letters or the like said cord is first threaded through the eyes of the needles and the middle portion of the cord between the needles disposed in contact with the surface of the body-section 1, thus disposing the needles ready to enable a letter to be forced downward thereon from time to time, it being understood that the weight-plate 4 may be easily brought downward upon each letter by means of the handle 5. The weight-plate at is, it will be obvious, designed for the purpose of securing each letter against casual displacement during the filing process, each end of the said plate being provided with an aperture 15, each designed to loosely receive its respective needle. lVhen, however, the desired number of letters or other subjectmattcr to be treated has been accumulated, the ends of the cord 9 are withdrawn from the needles and tied together, as indicated in dotted lines by numeral 16 in Fig. 4.

It will thus be seen that I have provided means whereby either a metal strip or a cord may be employed to secure the accumulated number of letters and bind them into bundles of desired size for future use, and while I have described the preferred combination and construction of parts I wish to comprehend all substantial equivalents and substitutes that may be considered as falling fairly within the scope of my invention.

Having thus fully described the construction and manner of using my improved letterfile, further reference to the details is deemed unnecessary.

lVhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The herein-described binding appliance comprising a suitable base-section; a pair of longitudinally grooved needles carried by said base-section; a weight-plate at and means to retain the same in operative combination with said needles; suitable means to hold the accumulated number of letter-heads or the like together, said means being adapted to cooperate with said needles all combined substantially as specified and for thepurpose set forth.

2. In a binding appliance of the character specified, a suitable base; needles carried by said base, each needle having a longitudinally-disposed groove on its inner and outer sides as set forth.

3. In a binding appliance, a suitable base; needles carried by said base; each needle being provided upon its inner face with a 1011- gitudinal groove, in combination with a binder-plate 11 having right-angled extensions 12, each of said extensions being designed to be received by the groove in one of said needles, and a follower-plate having a re'cess in each end adapted to fit between said needles and said extensions whereby when said extensions are bent downward upon the follower-plate the papers will be securely bound together all combined substantially as specified and for the purpose set forth.

4. The herein-described binder comprising a basesection; needles carried by one end upon the needles or elevated out of the Way thereof, each needle having-ea longitudinal upon the curved terminals of said posts as and groove, in combination with asuitable paperfor the purpose set forth. engaging device adapted. to coeperate with In testimonywhereof I aflix my signature 5 said needles; aposthaving outwardly-curved I in presence of two witnesses. V I

terminals adjacent to each needle, and a r Weight-plate fitting on said posts and pro- CHARLES TYDANIEL' vided upon its inner edge'with apertures adapted to receive saidneedles, whereby said no weight-plate may be freely moved downward Witnesses:

V. E. FOXWORTHY,

CARL STEWARD. 

